"The modern master of the gamebook format" (Rob Sanders)... "Can do dark very well" (Jonathan Oliver)... "Green gets mileage out of his monsters" (SFX Magazine)... "It takes a firm editorial hand and a keen understanding of the tone of each piece to make a collection this diverse work, and Green makes it look effortless" (Starburst Magazine)

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland now has just 120 hours left to run, so I thought it about time I addressed the subject of Stretch Goals and let you know about a new add-on that's been added... on... to the rewards available to backers.

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland has funded, which is brilliant, but it means people are now waiting to see what I have up my sleeve next. For those of you new to Kickstarter, Stretch Goals are a way for creators to keep funding something meaningful after achieving funding for the original product, such as features they really wanted to include, but had to cut to keep their budget small enough to achieve funding in the first place.

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland has been conceived as a standalone gamebook. Just because this book has funded I am not going to commit to writing a second one, straight off the bat. And I don't want to promise extra rewards which it then becomes impossible to deliver, as the budget becomes squeezed more and more. (This has been a common problem with many Kickstarter projects.) I also don't want to do anything that's going to delay publication of the gamebook. (Been there, done that!)

However, in simple terms, the more money the Kickstarter makes the more awesome artwork can be included. What made Fighting Fantasy gamebooks so memorable to you as a child? The monsters, and the pictures of the monsters! I've seen gamebooks without illustrations and they just don't look like the real deal to me. So, rest assured, the more money the project makes, the more of Kev Crossley's astonishing art will adorn its pages.

How can you help make this happen? You might want to consider increasing your pledge, for a start. If you backed to receive a MARCH HARE paperback, why not make it a limited edition CHESHIRE CAT hardback? If you've already gone for the hardback option, why not make sure your name appears in the Acknowledges for all posterity, by upgrading to the GRYPHON level pledge?

Alternatively you might want to select one (or more) of the add-ons available, such as the KING OF HEARTS playing cards and dice set, or the DUCHESS level portrait, or maybe even the brand new KNAVE OF HEARTS ARU!

"What's an ARU?" I hear you cry.

ARU stands for All Rolled Up, an innovative, flexible and all-in-one solution for bringing your gaming to the table. A game roll that combines a gamebook pocket, pen tidy and dicebag into a single accessory - so that when you're All Rolled Up you're ready to game. But, it's not just for gamers... All Rolled Up can carry dice, eraser, index cards, sticky notes, beads, writing gear, drawing kit, boardgame components, trading cards, wargame miniatures, stationery, make-up and more. No need to worry about forgetting anything - All Rolled Up has everything you need to be a prepared player or GM. And it's handmade in the UK! You can find out more about this award-winning product here.

The unique Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland All Rolled Up will feature Alice-themed fabrics, with a round coloured badge, and an Alice-themed charm attached to the loop. (Attendees of Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 may remember the FF-themed ARUs that were on sale at the event.) Here's a digital mock-up of what the ARU will look like.

But whatever you do, keep spreading the word, posting links via social media and telling all your friends. Put simply, the harder you work to help plug this project the more impressive the finished book, that you will own, will be.

Frostgrave is a fantasy skirmish wargame, set amidst the frozen ruins of an ancient city. Each player takes on the role of a wizard from one of ten schools of magic, and then builds a band of followers. Tales of the Frozen City is a new fiction anthology that collects together eleven stories of wizards and adventures as they venture into the ruins of the Frozen City.

I have contributed one of those stories - The Thief of Time - along with ten other authors, including Matt Ward, Sarah Newton, Ben Counter, David A McIntee, and Graeme Davis.

Sunday, 26 July 2015

You may have heard the news yesterday that Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland has passed its funding threshold. This is, of course, thanks to the 168 backers the project has (at the time of writing) but it is also thanks to various websites and bloggers who have written or hosted blogs about the forthcoming gamebook, or even interviewed me about the subject.

Here is a round-up of the all the ones I know of. If you know of any more, do let me know.

Saturday, 25 July 2015

I am delighted to be able to report that at 10.20am BST this morning, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland passed its funding threshold. Since then yet more backers have joined us down the rabbit-hole, so it's time to start thinking about Stretch Goals.

But for now I just wanted to thank each and every one of you who has already pledged to the support the project. Quite simply, I couldn't have done this without you.

Experience tells me that some people won't back a project until they know it's actually going to happen, so now that we've passed funding I expect that we will pick up some more people before the end. There are still 8 days to go until the project closes at 1.00pm BST on Monday 3rd August, so keep spreading the word and let all your friends know that Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland is happening!

A gamebook (or interactive novel) is a story in which you control the course of the narrative as a result of the choices, and sometimes the dice rolls, you make. (You might have come across Choose Your Own Adventure or Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks in the past.)

In the case of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, you guide the eponymous heroine through Wonderland, deciding which route she should take, which perils to risk, and which of the unreal dream world's bizarre denizens to fight.

But be warned – whether Alice succeeds in her quest, or meets a dire end as the nightmare escalates, will be down to the choices YOU make.

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

If I wasn't currently in Norway's capital city, I would definitely be going to the launch of Alex Lamb's debut novel, Roboteer*. The launch is taking place at Forbidden Planet in London, tonight, at 6.00pm, and you can find out more about it here.

* Alex and I went to school together and caught up for the first time in 25 years at this year's Eastercon. He hadn't changed a bit!

It's also great to see how many of m'colleagues have been nominated in various categories, including FF artist Les Edwards, SHARKPUNK contributors Gary McMahon, Ian Whates, Laurel Sills and Den Patrick, and of course Lavie Tidhar - and in more than one category!

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WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GREEN

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Jonathan Green

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.